Stolen Destiny
by Claire Lynn
Summary: Firepaw was never meant to be the cat in the prophecy. He wasn't even meant to join ThunderClan. When he does, trouble stirs up. And then, everything changed… a story because I believe Ravenpaw should never have left. Full summary inside. RavenpawxOC
1. Prologue

**Summary: ****We all remember Ravenpaw as being weak, the one who couldn't handle Clan life, the unfortunate one to be Tigerclaw's apprentice. But what if things were different? What if Tigerclaw was a mentor who would be proud of him? What if Ravenpaw was the real fire who was supposed to save the Clan? This is that story.**

**Note: Many parts of this prologue may be the same as the Into the Wild prologue, that is because this is like the series rewritten. However, many events might (obviously) not happen the same because this is a different story in the end. Most of it is in Ravenpaw's point of view. It will be as if he is guiding you personally through the story. Yes I know it will start out very similar to the real series, but it will change to more Ravenpawish as time goes on.**

**EDIT: Thanks mystery837 for pointing out an error! If i didn't mention it before... if I make any errors, feel free to correct me.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own the characters, Warriors books, or names mentioned in this story.**

**.: Prologue :.**

I crept towards Spottedleaf's den in the middle of the night, not wanting to wake any of my Clanmates. Graypaw had been complaining of bellyache again, probably from eating that frog. He wanted to know what it tasted like. Now, mind you, we weren't stealing prey, it was a one-hundred percent ThunderClan frog, but it didn't taste any better than a ShadowClan frog, he said. So now, I was going to Spottedleaf, in the middle of the night, for something for Graypaw.

I heard Bluestar talking about something to Spottedleaf, and I stopped short. I knew it must be nothing good, for them to talk about it at midnight. I couldn't resist, I had to hear.

"Are you asking StarClan for answers?" I heard Spottedleaf's gentle mew.

"It is times like this we need the words of the ancient warriors to help us. Has StarClan spoken to you?" Bluestar mewed in reply.

"Not for some moons," Spottedleaf mewed worriedly.

Suddenly, a shooting star blazed across Silverpelt. I wondered if it could be the sign from StarClan that they were looking for?

I had been staring at Silverpelt, I didn't realize that Spottedleaf had started mewing quietly to Bluestar again.

I heard her mew, "Fire alone can save our Clan."

Terrified, I ran back to the apprentices' den, not caring that I had forgotten all about the herbs for Graypaw.

**So, that was the prologue. Still want to read more? Stick around. Note: I am a high school student so I might not be able to update incredibly often, but I will make an effort to work on a chapter on weekends. Please review!**


	2. Allegiances and Family Trees

**Hi… I decided to write the Allegiances and Family Trees. Allegiances for those who don't have/don't feel like looking up the allegiances in the first book, and Family Trees because, well, my family trees are screwed. Both will be edited frequently, as I make new chapters or edit old ones.**

**Allegiances:**

**ThunderClan:**

Leader: Bluestar (Firepaw)

Deputy: Tigerclaw (Ravenpaw)

Medicine Cat: Spottedleaf

Warriors: Lionheart (Graypaw)

Whitestorm (Sandpaw)

Darkstripe (Dustpaw)

Longtail

Runningwind

Mousefur

Willowpelt

Apprentices: Firepaw

Ravenpaw

Graypaw

Sandpaw

Dustpaw

Queens: Frostfur (Redtail)

Brindleface (Darkstripe)

Goldenflower (Tigerclaw)

Speckletail (Smallear)

Elders: Halftail

Rosetail

Smallear

Patchpelt

One-eye

Dappletail

**Other Clans:**

**Not seen yet**

**Family Trees:**

Robinwing+Fuzzypelt= Brindleface, Frostfur, Ravenpaw

Pinestar+Leopardfoot= Tigerclaw

Brindleface+Redtail= Sandpaw

Brindleface+Darkstripe= Ashkit, Fernkit

Willowpelt+Patchpelt= Graypaw

**SO FAR!**


	3. RiverClan Battle and Firepaw's Arrival

**Note: Sorry if I've got any of the cats out of character, but this isn't like the real series as it goes on so they will be out of character. Also, you should know, in this story, Firepaw is sort of the bad guy and Tigerclaw is nice. Well, as nice as it's possible for Tigerclaw to be... And yes, I do realize Ravenpaw's eyes are supposed to be green, but for the purpose of this story, they're orangey-ambery-firey colored.  
**

"Come on Ravenpaw, you can do it!" My mentor, Tigerclaw, said.

My bright, flaming amber eyes lit up with determination. We were out training with Dustpaw and Sandpaw, and I was getting beaten. Badly. Dustpaw and Sandpaw had been apprentices a full moon longer than me, so they had more experience. Or maybe I was just no good at fighting. Either way, I knew Dustpaw and Sandpaw would never let me live this down.

All of a sudden, Redtail, the deputy, raced over to Tigerclaw.

"Tigerclaw-" he panted, "Tigerclaw, RiverClan are attacking. They say they want Sunningrocks back."

_What? _I thought, _but we won Sunningrocks fairly, in a battle!_

"I'll come as fast as I can," Tigerclaw replied, "Whitestorm! Longtail! Take Dustpaw and Sandpaw back to camp and tell Bluestar! Redtail, go back and help them fight! And Ravenpaw, you could do with the experience. You can come, too."

It was my first battle! I was terrified. If I couldn't even hold up against Dustpaw and Sandpaw, what would it be like to fight full warriors? I prepared myself for, inevitably, going to StarClan. I was sad that I wouldn't get to say goodbye to Graypaw, and I was afraid I would have disappointed Tigerclaw, but oh well. At least I would be remembered for having died a warrior's death, in battle. Maybe Bluestar could send me up to StarClan with a warrior name, even?

"Ravenpaw! Snap out of it!" I heard Tigerstar's worried mew, "Aren't you excited? It's your first battle!"

Shaking my head to clear out my thoughts, I raced after Tigerclaw's disappearing form in the early morning mist. When I got to Sunningrocks, I couldn't believe what I saw! There was Redtail, the fearless deputy, being pinned down by a big reddish-brown tom. From Gatherings, I believed his name was Oakheart, the deputy of RiverClan.

Then, all of a sudden, just as it looked like Oakheart was going in for the kill, Tigerclaw ran up to them and bowled Oakheart over, leaving a deep slash in his side. Unfortunately, I hadn't been paying attention, and a sleek silver RiverClan warrior bowled into me. As I spun around to face my attacker, I realized that she was little older than myself. Then, it dawned on me! This was Silverpaw, the RiverClan apprentice Graypaw and I met at the last Gathering!

"Silverpaw?!" I asked, not expecting a response.

"Huh?" She stopped, cocking her head to one side questioningly.

"Ha!" I yowled, taking the advantage and clawing her sides, "Didn't your mentor teach you not to turn your back on you opponent?"

"Mistyfoot…! Help!" she yowled to one of her Clanmates.  
Before I knew what was happening, both she-cats were on top of me, clawing my exposed underside. Tigerclaw, seeing my predicament, raced over off of Oakheart (who probably already knew he was beaten) and smashed into the two attacking RiverClan Warriors just as Oakheart yowled, "RiverClan! Retreat!"

I couldn't believe it! We had won! I couldn't wait to tell Graypaw! But then, all of a sudden as the RiverClan warriors were clearing away, I saw Redtail's body laying in the middle of the clearing. Tigerclaw walked over to the body and nosed it gently, licking his eyes closed. Redtail would never wake up. I hoped that, somehow from StarClan, he had seen us beat RiverClan.

"Ravenpaw," Tigerclaw called gently, "Come help me take Redtail back to camp."

Sadly, I obeyed, trotting over and picking up the body.  
"Redtail," I whispered, "ThunderClan will never forget you, you were one of the best warriors we had…"

As we walked into the camp, I knew something was going on. A bright, flame-red cat was standing near the middle of the clearing, talking to Graypaw. As he looked at me with piercing emerald eyes, a shudder ran through me. Not a shudder like the thrill of battle when I was beating Silverpaw, not a shudder like in leafbare, but a feeling that something wasn't right. I just couldn't put my paw on it. Tigerclaw looked down at me, and I could tell he was thinking the same thing.

Bluestar jumped on the Highrock and said, "What has happened?"

"Redtail is dead!" Tigerclaw declared sadly, drawing cries of shock and horror from all the cats in the clearing. "His patrol was ambushed by a group of RiverClan warriors wanting to take Sunningrocks back! He came to me at the training hollow and asked me to come help his patrol. I tried to defend Redtail, but there were too many of them and too few of us. I am sorry, Blustar," he finished, dipping his head respectfully. He kindly refrained from telling the whole Clan about my humiliating defeat by the two she-cats.

As the news began to sink in, many cats came forward to share tongues with the faithful, fallen deputy one last time. Finally, Bluestar leapt down from the Highrock to also share tongues with him. A few cats wandered off in a stunned silence.

Later that day, Bluestar leapt onto the Highrock again. "A new deputy must be appointed," she meowed, "But first, let us give thanks to StarClan for the life of Redtail. Tonight, he sits with his fellow warriors among the stars."

Silence fell as all the cats looked up at the sky, which was just beginning to brighten from the early morning fog.

"And now I shall appoint the new deputy," Bluestar continued, "I say these words before the body of Redtail so that he may hear and approve of my choice. Tigerclaw will be the new deputy of ThunderClan."

Many cats cheered for Tigerclaw, he was a respected senior warrior.

"Thank you, Bluestar. I will do my best to fill Redtail's pawsteps," Tigerclaw mewed, dipping his head respectfully to Bluestar.

As I headed to the apprentices' den, I saw the newcomer again. Graypaw had been showing him around, but now he was talking to Sandpaw. As I came closer, I heard him speaking to me.

"Oh, if it isn't the weakling who can't even fight his own denmates!" The cat meowed, with a sneer that nearly matched Dustpaw's, "Your friends, Sandpaw and Dustpaw, have been telling me _all _about you…"

"Firepaw, don't," Graypaw mewed to this newcomer, "He's my friend."

I opened my mouth to retort, but I caught a scent… kittypet! This newcomer, Firepaw, was a kittypet!

"Oh yeah, _kittypet_?" I hissed, "I could take you on any day!"

"We'll just see about that…" Firepaw hissed back.

He leapt at me, with a force more than I would expect from a kittypet. But I remambered Tigerclaw's training. I dodged to the side, leaving Firepaw scrambling around with a mouthful of dirt.

"Ha!" I meowed in triumph, "See? At least I have pure, war-"

"_What_ is going on here?" Tigerclaw hissed, having heard the commotion.

"This _kittypet_ said I was a weakling!" I meowed, indignant.

"No apprentice of mine is ever weak!" Tigerclaw growled, "And you had better not forget it, kittypet."

Now in a sour mood, I curled up in my nest near the back corner of the den and settled into a fitful sleep.

**Well, how did you like it? Not quite what you would expect from shy Ravenpaw and gentle Firepaw, is it? Sorry it's so short... The last part sort of wrote itself in my head, and I couldn't stop it. But I quite like how it turned out, even if it is a bit surprising. If you didn't notice, in this story, Firepaw sides with Sandpaw and Dustpaw, and poor Graypaw is caught in the middle! Can you guess what Ravenpaw was going to say, before Tigerclaw cut him off? As always, please review!**


	4. StarClan's Will and New Kits

**Note: I'm going mostly by family trees on the Warriors' Wish website, except that I believe that Darkstripe was Brindleface's mate, and Redtail Frostfur's. Sorry if my family treeing is a bit screwed… I might make a chapter just of family trees as I'm writing them.**

_"Ravenpaw… Ravenpaw, come…"_

I heard voices whispering to me as I sat up, voices I knew well…

"Robinwing? Fuzzypelt?" I asked, "Where am I? Am I dead?"

"Not dead, my precious son, just dreaming…" Robinwing, my mother, mewed comfortingly.

"Oh no! Am I in trouble with StarClan? Oh, I bet it's because I attacked that kittypet, Firepaw, isn't it?" I meowed, worried.

"No, Ravenpaw, it is not that." Fuzzypelt, my father, meowed, "You must learn to trust your instincts, if they tell you a cat is not good, then listen. They told you that something is not right about Firepaw. StarClan felt it, too, and so did Tigerclaw."

"T-tigerclaw approved of me attacking Firepaw?" I mewed.

"Yes… yes, I did," Tigerclaw's voice came from behind me.

"Tigerclaw! Are you dreaming, too?" I asked, surprised that my mentor was here.

"We brought him here, young Ravenpaw," came a low growl.

"Thistleclaw!" Tigerclaw meowed. I had never seen my mentor so surprised, or happy, to see anyone! "But... Why are we all here like this?"

"A good question, my apprentice," Thistleclaw said, "We have brought you both here because you need to practice. One day, you must meet Firepaw in battle, and when you do, you must be ready. Firepaw was never meant to come to the Clans. He was never an ordinary kittypet, but now that he is with the Clans, he has more power than he can handle. Bad power."

I couldn't believe it! Thistleclaw is - was - Tigerclaw's mentor!

"Tigerclaw, charge at me and use your best attacking moves," Thistleclaw challenged, as if he were still Tigerclaw's mentor.  
I was surprised to see that Tigerclaw didn't mind being ordered around as if he were still an apprentice. He stepped back a few paces, then charged at Thistleclaw and clawed at his flank. As Thistleclaw turned to jump on him, Tigerclaw let himself slide underneath to rake at his underbelly, flipping and quickly getting himself on top. I was amazed to see that Tigerclaw's skills almost matched those of Thistleclaw. And I thought Tigerclaw was the best warrior that ever lived!

"Now, it is your turn, Ravenpaw," Robinwing murmured to me, "Be careful, Fuzzypelt, he's only an apprentice."

"I'm fine, mother! Honestly!" I meowed, embarassed.

Suddenly, I saw Fuzzypelt charging at me, just like Tigerclaw did when we were training. Reacting fast, I lunged onto his hindquarters, pulling myself up and raking his back with my claws. He tried to roll and pin me down, but as he rolled I leapt so I ended up on top of his stomach, in a dominant position. I raked his belly with my claws, and only as he tried to scramble away did I hop off.

"Good job, my apprentice," Tigerclaw praised, "But you'll have to do better than that to beat me!"

"Is that a challenge?" I asked.

Not waiting for an answer, I sprang at him, attempting to do what Fuzzypelt had done to me. But Tigerclaw was prepared for my attack, it being a simple apprentice move. I was prepared for the claw rake he attempted, so instead of landing on his back like the move originally prescribed, I flipped to the side, leaving him with his claws in the dirt. While he was getting back on his feet, I sprang onto his back and clawed the back of his neck. As he tried to shake me off, I took the advantage and leapt effortlessly onto the ground next to him. Fortunately for me, his rolling in an attempt to shake me off left his belly exposed for me to claw. Finishing, I stepped aside lightly and let him get up.

"Not bad," Tigerclaw said, "But if you're to face off against the all powerful Firepaw, you're gonna have to do a whole lot better. Ravenpaw, when we wake up you're going to face off against Sandpaw and then Dustpaw. We'll see how you do about that?"

"O-okay, Tigerclaw…" I said nervously. In StarClan, I knew I couldn't get hurt, but in ThunderClan, I definitely could.

"It is time for you to go home now," Thistleclaw meowed, "But we will continue to train you both by night."

"Darling, when you wake up, you will feel as if you had slept all night. You will have the kind of energy only StarClan can provide, both of you," Robinwing mewed.

"Thank you," Tigerclaw meowed, nodding respectfully, as we began to fade.

"See you tomorrow!" I meowed excitedly as I began to wake up.

When I woke up, I was in the apprentices' den, and itching to go training. I guess that was the result of the special energy from StarClan. It appeared Tigerclaw had it too, from the way he was pacing around the camp.

"Ah! Ravenpaw! You're up! Ready to go training?" Tigerclaw asked, with enough unnatural enthusiasm to make most of the senior warriors look up and stare at us in surprise.

"Uh, yeah…" I murmured, trying to hide from all the staring eyes. I was shifting nervously, partly from nervousness and partially from StarClan's energy.

"Okay then. Fetch Sandpaw or Dustpaw for me, you'll be practising battle moves," He instructed, then said a little more quietly, "Try those moves the StarClan warriors showed you."

I nodded and raced off.

"Sandpaw! Dustpaw! Tigerclaw wants us for battle training!" I called, a little louder than I meant to, into the apprentices' den.

"Ugh! Ravenpaw… can't he put it off a bit? It's hardly even sunrise yet!" Dustpaw meowed crossly.

"NOW!!!" Tigerclaw bellowed from the entrance to the camp.

"There's your answer," I meowed back apologetically.

A few moments later, we were in the training hollow. Sandpaw and I were standing across from each other on a soft patch of grass.

"GO!!!" Tigerclaw meowed, watching carefully.

"Claws sheathed, Sandpaw," Whitestorm, Sandpaw's mentor, meowed sternly, "We wouldn't want to hurt anyone."

"We wouldn't?" I heard Sandpaw meow to Dustpaw under her breath. He snickered.

Claws sheathed, I lunged at Sandpaw, trying to repeat the move I had performed on Tigerclaw the night before. It worked just as well, Sandpaw trying to guess what I was going to do and springing back at me swiftly. I batted her on the side with my forepaws, while digging at the dirt with my hind paws. It had the desired affect, leaving her spitting out mouthfuls of grass and dirt. I sat back at Tigerclaw's signal, letting her recover.

"Good job, Ravenpaw!" Tigerclaw meowed.

"You too, Sandpaw," Whitestorm added, "Nice work trying to guess where he was going to go!"

Once we were back at camp, I heard an excited mewing coming from the nursery.

"Come on, Brindleface, you can do it!" I heard Spottedleaf mewing encouragingly to the kitting queen.

I saw Darkstripe, Tigerclaw's first apprentice, padding nervously back and forth outside the nursery. Every cat knew that he was the father of Brindleface's kits. Brindleface is my sister. She's always so kind and nice to the apprentices. When I was just born as a kit, she was in the nursery with her daughter Sandpaw, from her first mate Redtail. I can't believe the she-cat that hates my guts is my niece… obviously she can't believe a cat so "weak" and "pathetic" is her uncle, either. There's quite a time gap between me and my sisters. Frostfur is my other sister. She's really nice, too. She's pregnant now with Redtail's kits. I think Brindleface just decided she didn't like Redtail all that much after he became deputy, so Frostfur got him. It's weird, I know.

"What will you call them?" Spottedleaf asked, jolting me out of my thoughts.

"Ashkit… and Fernkit," Brindleface decided.

"Beautiful," Spottedleaf mewed.

Then, all of a sudden, I heard Dustpaw cry, "A kit!!! I found a kit!!!"

**Ooh, I tried to make a bit of a cliffhanger… Thanks for reading, please review!**


	5. A Kit!

**Note: Sorry, I know I have the times all screwed up (Firepaw's only been with ThunderClan 3 days!), but I'm trying to move this along, because things will be a lot more interesting when Firepaw and Ravenpaw are warriors. Let's say, Firepaw had a lot of experience having been in the forest longer than he was in the original series… and he's about the same age as Dustpaw and Sandpaw, with Graypaw a bit older but more immature and Ravenpaw the youngest, but also the most mature.**

Bluestar, with one swift movement, dashed out of her den and sprang onto the Highrock to see what was going on.

"Dustpaw? Firepaw? What in StarClan's name is going on?" Bluestar meowed in confusion.

"We found a kit, Bluestar. The kit of a loner; we found her body just outside the dirtplace. She had injuries from a fight with a fox, and with this kit cuddled near her body. We didn't know what to do, so we brought her back here," meowed Firepaw, with a swift and calm confidence that almost sounded rehearsed.

"Tigerclaw, Ravenpaw, and Lionheart, you are to follow Dustpaw to the place they found this kit when I am done here," Bluestar ordered, "Now, Firepaw, thank you for bringing this she-kit back. Is she awake? Good," then, in a softer tone, she mewed, "It's okay, little kit, we aren't going to hurt you. Can you tell us your name?"

"M-my mother c-called m-me M-midnight," the terrified she-kit mewled pitifully, "W-what are y-you going t-to do w-with me? Where's m-mother?"

"Do not be afraid, Midnight. Your mother… is not coming back. She is dead," Bluestar mewed, pity choking her voice. Then, in her normal voice, she meowed, "StarClan, I bring forth this kit. She is not Clanborn, but I hope we can make her into a warrior her deceased mother could be proud of. From this moment forth, Midnight, you shall be called Nightkit."

"Nightkit! Nightkit! Nightkit!" cheered the Clan, as they would at any naming ceremony.

"Excuse me, Bluestar," Goldenflower's sweet voice wafted up from the crowd of cats, "I would like to care for this kit. She is old enough now to eat fresh-kill, and as I am the only queen without kits or milk yet, I will act as a substitute mother until she can be apprenticed."

Bluestar replied, "Very well, Goldenflower. Your kits will not be born until she is an apprentice, if all goes well."

I liked Goldenflower. She was one of the Clan's best queens, even better than my sisters. She wasn't the type of queen who was in the nursery more than she was out, like Frostfur and Speckletail, instead she was more used to the warrior life, as she had only recently become pregnant with Tigerclaw's kits. That was another reason I liked the gentle queen. She had been very close to my sisters, but me as well, having helped comfort us when Mother died. She had patience with the other, snappier queens, like Speckletail, and often 'kitsat' other queens' kits even while she was still a warrior.

Tigerclaw smiled, and nuzzled his mate affectionately as I gently helped Nightkit down from a ledge that Firepaw had placed her on.

"Be careful, both of you," Goldenflower meowed to me and Tigerclaw playfully.

"We will!" I called over my shoulder as our patrol left to look at the body.

On our way, I noticed that Dustpaw had a few scratches on his flanks almost as if another cat had made them. When I asked about them, however, he told me curtly that they were from some brambles and since when did I care anyway? When we got there, sure enough, there lay the dead body of a queen. As the patrol began to leave to report back to Bluestar, Tigerclaw and I lagged behind a bit.

"Did you notice those scratches on Dustpaw?" I asked Tigerclaw.

He replied, "Yes, and they aren't from brambles. They're from another cat."

"Tigerclaw, can we take another look at that she-cat's body?" I asked.

"If you think you can find anything," Tigerclaw meowed, "I'll be over here hunting so the Clan doesn't get suspicious."

I examined the body, and found something very odd. There were deep scratches in her pelt and a bite mark in her throat, but that wasn't the odd part. There were clumps of ginger fur in her claws, as well as clumps of dark gray-brown tabby fur.

"Tigerclaw, can you come here a moment?" I asked, hoping my suspicions weren't true, "This ginger fur isn't fox fur, is it? And these claw marks aren't from a fox, either."

"No, Ravenpaw. That… why, that looks like Firepaw's and Dustpaw's fur in her claws! And those teeth marks are only apprentice-sized," he meowed in shock, "But we mustn't tell Bluestar yet, not until we can be sure."

"Okay, Tigerclaw," I replied obediently.

When we got back to camp, we found a warrior ceremony going on - Firepaw and Dustpaw's warrior ceremonies!

"Firepaw, although you have been with the clan a short time, I congratulate you for your bravery, loyalty, and courage. It is time for you to become a warrior." Bluestar meowed from the Highledge, "I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Firepaw, do you promise to follow the warrior code and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Firepaw, from this day forth you will be known as Fireheart. ThunderClan welcomes you as a full warrior. And now, Dustpaw, although you have not yet been assessed, I feel this is as good a time as ever to make you a warrior. I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Dustpaw, do you promise to follow the warrior code and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Dustpaw meowed clearly and loudly, "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Dustpaw, from this day forth you will be known as Dustpelt. ThunderClan welcomes you as a full warrior."

I turned to Tigerclaw, dismayed. We had been too late to warn Bluestar about their possible treachery and prevent them from becoming warriors! The look on his face said that he felt the same.

"Dustpelt! Fireheart! Dustpelt! Fireheart! Dustpelt! Fireheart!" The clan loudly cheered their approval, since they didn't know what we knew.

"Ravenpaw?" I heard a tiny mewing. It was the tiny she-kit that Firepaw and Dustpaw had "saved," "Why are they congratulating those cats? They hurt my mother, and they said it was a fox."

I looked at Tigerclaw. Our suspicions were true, then, but we needed more evidence to show Bluestar.

"Nightkit," I began, as gently as I could, "Nightkit, they don't know what those bad cats have done. Please don't blame the whole clan for their actions, they don't know."

"Okay, Ravenpaw. But, why aren't you getting renamed? You're just as big as them, and you're an awful lot nicer," Nightkit mewed innocently.

"Like I said, they don't know what those bad cats have done. Why don't we try to keep this a secret, hmm, or we might have cats thinking you tell stories that aren't true."

"Okay, Ravenpaw," she said, her eyes shining with trust.

A moon or so later, I heard Nightkit talking to the younger Fernkit near the exit of the nursery.

"I wanna have Dustpelt as a mate one day, when I'm big and strong like him!" Fernkit exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh yeah? If you're having Dustpelt, then I want to have Ravenpaw as a mate! He's a lot nicer than your bossy furball Dustpelt!" Nightkit replied, making me freeze in my tracks.

"Nightkit, that's stupid! Ravenpaw is only an apprentice, Dustpelt is a full warrior!"

I heard Nightkit murmur under her breath, "But Ravenpaw is twice the warrior Dustpelt will ever be…"

Even though she was only a kit, for some reason her praise made me glow with pride. Then, I shook myself, now having a headache, probably from straining to listen to the kits' conversation. Why was I so interested in Nightkit, anyway? I shook myself again, and padded off to the medicine den to ask Spottedleaf for some herbs.

"Spottedleaf," I asked, sticking my head in the entrance to her den, "Spottedleaf, do you have anything for a headache?"

"No, but we'll try some feverfew," she called from her back section, "I can tell you have something on your mind, while I get that prepared we can chat."

A few heartbeats later, she came back with a mouthful of herbs and gently put them down in her supplies. She picked up a few small, white flowers and some sticky, sweet-smelling golden stuff in a leaf wrap.

"Here, Ravenpaw," she offered the delicious-smelling herb bundle. After I swallowed, she asked, "So, Ravenpaw. I know you're not just here to chat, so tell me what's wrong."

"Well, um," I stuttered a bit. I hadn't been this nervous since the battle with RiverClan! "When I'm around this… um… one she-cat, I feel all funny and dizzy, and I want to hear what she's talking about." I didn't exactly mention that this she-cat was actually a she-_kit!_

Spottedleaf laughed lightheartedly. "Oh, Ravenpaw, you silly furball! You're in love! Mind telling me who it is? I bet it's Sandpaw!"

Not wanting to tell her that I had a crush on a kit, I quickly stuttered out an excuse. "I, um, that is, er, I, she, uh… I have to go make dirt! See you around, Spottedleaf!" I bolted out of the den, leaving Spottedleaf shaking her head amusedly as I left.

I curled up in my nest in the apprentices' den and fell into an uneasy sleep, that happened to have a lot of a certain black she-cat in it.

**Ha ha! Oh wow, poor Ravenpaw, he's in love with Nightkit! That's ok, she's in love with him too, and besides Dustpelt is already in love with Fernkit! Taking suggestions for Nightkit's warrior name, even though I already have a bit of an idea...**


End file.
